It is no secret that the consumption of video is eclipsing all other media on mobile devices.

Youtube has revealed that more than half of their views now come from mobile devices, and the number of hours people spend watching videos on mobile is increasing by 100%, year over year.

EMarketer also stated that 2015 saw 107.1 million people in the US (one-third of the population) watching video on their mobile phones on a monthly basis. Mobile has now risen to be a more popular medium for watching video content than for listening to music. Compared to 2014, the consumption of mobile video has increased by an astounding 13.8%, which leaves us with little to no surprise that 2016 is predicted to see publishers make up 29% of their revenue from mobile video alone.

With these figures, it is easy to understand why mobile video advertising is surfacing as a common topic of discussion within the media industry at the moment, with marketing professionals espousing the need for publishers to adopt an ad strategy which appeals to the unique media habits of today’s rapidly growing mobile audience.

When publishers optimise their magazines, guides, brochures, and other content for mobile, they are able to move beyond the design and functionality limitations imposed by print (or print replica mediums popular on desktop) and explore new ways of maximising the return on their ads. Video is not only proving to be a much more efficient way of condensing content into a mobile-friendly format over both text and images, but it is also shown to be effective in holding reader interest and attention in our media-saturated lives.

So who is taking notice?

A mobile media study conducted by Google and Ipsos last year found that millennials between the age of 18 and 34 are the most exposed to mobile video, with a whopping 98% of smartphone users reported to watch video content on their device. Compare this to traditional video media platforms like TV, which holds a comparatively lower viewership at only 81%. What’s even more notable is that millennials are also 2 times as likely to be focused while watching video on their smartphone than on TV, with the latter resulting in interrupted viewing experiences.

Uncovering the benefits of mobile video advertising

A 2015 study conducted by Trusted Media Brands asked media decision makers to rank the top 3 benefits they saw by using mobile video ads. The results, as analysed by eMarketer, reveal that nearly half of the respondents claimed an increase in brand awareness was one of the biggest benefits of mobile video advertising. Better user engagement and interaction came in second with a 34% share of the vote. 31% of respondents also found that video was a form of media better suited to the reading habits of mobile users, thus resulting in a higher clickthrough rate than it would on desktop. Only 6% of all respondents found mobile video to not result in any considerable benefits.

Navigating the obstacles of mobile video

While video is proving to be the new frontier in mobile optimised advertising, there are a few obstacles which publishers and marketers need to keep in mind when planning a video ad strategy for their publication.

The limited screen real estate of smartphones has always been a challenge when it comes to making the most of your digital advertising efforts— and video is no exception to this dilemma. Not every video is going to be a cinematic experience when played on a smartphone, so videos that have been created with desktop consumption in mind should be reevaluated for this new demographic. To circumvent some of the limitations imposed by small screen devices, ensure that your video ads will launch full screen to result in a more user-friendly viewing experience.

Another factor which is hard to overlook is that data costs are still a major concern for mobile users, especially those still running on 3G networks, as large video files will result in a substantial drain on data allowances. Mobile video ads need to balance the need to keep videos short and concise while still effectively communicating the desired message to mobile audiences. Optimising your video file size for mobile users is crucial. Reelseo also reveals that the optimal video ad length is 30 seconds if you want to increase CTRs on mobile.

The mobile revolution is undoubtedly opening the door for publishers to adopt new mobile-first ad strategies and see greater returns on their digital efforts– and mobile video is leading the charge. Publishers need to be prepared to adapt their advertising efforts in response to today’s most profitable mobile media habits. Of course, if you have yet to expand your content into the mobile space, then your first step will be to consider a mobile-first publishing solution that will put you in the best position to meet your revenue goals.

To help you get a leg up over your competition, Realview have just launched PARTICA– a new mobile-first publishing and content marketing solution that was created in response to the advertising challenges faced by publishers world wide. Click through to our presentation where you will discover how you can optimise your content for mobile, so you can start profiting today!